A Guide to the Basics of Home Design

Any person who is lucky enough to own a home nowadays can consider such home as his castle. The present state of the economy has made home ownership a rarity indeed especially if a person is a wage earner.People who have had their homes for a long time are definitely thankful that they have something they can call their own. However, the wear and tear as well as the abuses of nature can take its toll on the inside and outside look of any home. Thus, most homeowners have plans of redesigning their homes depending on the available resources.Redesigning a home that has been in existence for a long time can be difficult and expensive. However, a person who is creative and industrious enough will find the time and the energy to redesign his home using the basic and affordable guide in home design.Redesigning a home need not be expensive because there are techniques that can be applied to make an old home as good as new. A person can work on a minimum budget and introduce basic changes in his home which would result to a more aesthetic abode.The people living in a home will certainly have developed a new style or preference after so many years. It is advisable that a person looks into his preferences, the way of life of the family and of course the available budget before making any change.It would help to browse architectural or interior magazines to have an idea of what is new is home redesigning. More often, less is best so make sure that the design would be simple and would fit the personality of the people living in the house.There are several designs to choose from like country, modern, traditional or pop art. It will depend on the taste of the designer and of course, the people who will be living in the home that will be redesigned.A person can make amazing changes in any home just by changing the color scheme of the home. It can be a change in the paint of the rooms, or a change in the colors scheme of the draperies. No matter what, the color should match the size and the location of the rooms to be redesigned.Also take a look at the appliances, furniture and trinkets that are available inside or outside the home. These factors can affect the design and can even have a great impact in the choice of colors.To make the home more airy and relaxing, it would be a good idea to bring in some plants. The plants should however be of little maintenance so that the homeowner would not have a hard time taking care of the plants.Also take note of the lighting scheme of the home. Placing the right kind of light at the right place can make a difference in making the home spacious or narrow, cheerful or dreary.A nice chandelier with a classic can make a room sophisticated so it might be a good decision to buy one. As a general rule, plan ahead of time before purchasing the items that needed to be added into the newly redesigned home so as to make sure that the items are essential to the design and they would not look misplaced in the new design of the home.

New Home Design

What is the process for designing a new home? What are the steps in competing a new home design? The answers to these questions vary from job to job, but generally include some of the same elements. The first step in contemplating a new home design is to interview and select a design firm. There are many choices and many different prices to choose from when selecting a design team to complete your new home design. Ask about their experience, ask for references, ask if they have designed homes similar to what you are looking for. Also, ask exactly what you will receive for the fees you pay.After you interview and select a design firm, the first step will be to lay out your site plan. This shows how your home or building will be situated on your lot/land. Then the designer will help you decide on your floor-plan. The floor plan includes the locations of all the rooms, garages, porches, patios and more along with notes and dimensions. Once your floor plans are complete, you will move to the elevations stage of the design. This is where an experienced design team will help you to decide exactly what you want your house or building to look like on the outside from all four sides. These elevations outline exterior material choices, such as brick, stone or stucco, architectural details, and generally showcase the exterior features of the home. These pages will show whether the style is French country, Mediterranean, traditional, Tuscan, Victorian, English or another architectural style.Once floor plans and elevations have been completed, then it is time to finish the plan. A finished plan will include electrical details, a roof plan, in some cases a framing plan, and also where required, sections. Sections are cut-aways that show different areas of the home from different angles as if you are looking at a slice through of that area of the home. Finally you will receive several pages of general construction notes. These notation pages are to help guide your builder in many different areas of construction. These notation pages are critical and careful attention needs to be paid to these pages as they will help tremendously during the construction process. Services such as space planning, land planning, interior elevations, artistic renderings and much more are usually offered by experienced design firms. Think carefully before you choose your design firm, make sure they are capable of delivering what you expect in a new architectural design, and happy building!by: Erich Wynn07-01-2011

The Secrets of a Good Home Design: Moving Beyond the Obvious

This article is not your basic primer on selecting your “dream home”. Nor does it contain the list of “items to ask your designer” – these things can be found on any designer’s website or Google search. As important as those items are, what we are going to do here is drill-down into the design a little, bypass the fan-fare and talk about some specific concepts that will really make a difference in your life.Matching your house to your lifestyle begins with an exploration of your needs and wants. Most home designers will have some type of “discovery process” that will help identify the basics for your home design. It will start with the configuration of your lot and proceed through items such as privacy requirements, work areas, outdoor spaces, etc. Although this process is critical to your project, it rarely drills down enough to transform your design into a home that will serve your needs for a lifetime.Here are two keys of good home design that must be addressed up-front: a) assessing the homeowner’s current needs; and, b) anticipating the future needs of people living in the home. Before you say “Yeah, yeah…I’ve heard this all before!” let’s take a closer look at what “current needs” entail.Almost all “discovery processes” used by home designers focus on the use and space requirements of the rooms in the house. This is good, but too little attention is given to the personal needs of the people actually living in the home. Without performing a comprehensive assessment of the client’s functional abilities, identifying areas of the home where modifications are necessary is often overlooked.For example, the needs of a child and his / her ability to live comfortably in the home are rarely addressed at the design stage. It’s necessary to evaluate the child’s current abilities and design an environment that works and grows with the child. Some easy adaptive design elements would include adjustable shelves and rods in the closet. As the child grows, the shelves and rods can be moved to better accommodate their reach. Appliances present a similar situation as it is necessary for the controls to be accessible. Front mounted controls on washing machines and dryers enable their use. Safety also comes into play. A child trying to use a microwave placed overhead is a recipe for disaster!Of course, the above example is very simple, but it illustrates the point that design needs to be done from the perspective of the individual and his / her ability to carry out daily routines in the home. This is why a good designer will perform an assessment of the client and specify the needed design modifications.There are a couple of tools that a designer can use to evaluate the needs of their clients. One of those tools is the Comprehensive Assessment and Solution Process for Aging Residents (CASPAR). CASPAR was designed for healthcare professionals to evaluate their client’s ability to carry out routine activities in the home. This is also useful in determining the requirements of people who have disabilities.Anticipating the future needs of individuals may prove a little trickier, but we can start by understanding the process of aging. Whether we like to think about growing old or not, it is inevitable, and people’s functional abilities diminish over time. A well designed home will easily adapt to these changing needs and allow people to stay in their homes longer.Fortunately, “universal design” is beginning to take root in modern home design. Ron Mace, Founder and Program Director of the Center for Universal Design (NCSU), give us the following definition of UD: “The intent of universal design is to simplify life for everyone by making products, communications, and the built environment more usable by as many people as possible at little or no extra cost. Universal design benefits people of all ages and abilities.” Because the principles of universal design are inclusive for people with disabilities, the application of UD in home design is appropriate and addresses many of the needs of people who wish to “age in place”.Adaptable design is different in concept from universal design. Where universal design benefits people of all ages and abilities, adaptable design allows the home to be modified for a specific need. An example of adaptable design would be designing a two-story home with “stacked closets” (a closet on the first floor directly below and aligned with a closet on the second floor) so that a residential elevator or lift could easily be installed in the future. In contrast, a universal design item might be the installation of lever door handles that are easier to use for people who have lost the ability to grip a standard round door knob. These lever handles also benefit anyone who may have their hands full with groceries and want to release the door latch by using their forearm or elbow, for example. Children also have an easier time using lever door handles.Distinguishing between universal and adaptable design may seem difficult at first, but when one realizes that these principles have less to do about the installation of specific items and are more about a designer’s perspective, it all begins to make better sense. And the designer’s perspective is heavily influenced by a thorough client assessment.Does this level of service cost more? Yes, probably. But a couple hundred dollars up front to hire a qualified designer who will accurately assess your lifestyle and evaluate your future needs, pales in comparison to leaving your design to chance. The number one secret to good home design is to avoid cutting costs at this stage of your project and find a home designer who is an expert in assessing your needs and applying the design criteria that will make your house a home for a lifetime.